Why is it even needed?
Getting a visa to the EU countries is not so easy. But visas to Finland are issued without any problems. A Finnish visa is a Schengen visa, with which, if desired, you can visit not only the Land of a Thousand Lakes, but also any other country.
But you won’t be able to get a visa to Finland and go, for example, to Italy right away. First, you need to make a formal trip to this country, i.e., in other words, get a visa.
Why revoke your visa at all?
According to the Schengen Visa Code, an entry document can only be issued to you by the country that is the main purpose of your travel. Your main country of residence is the one in which you spent the most time
.
Time is calculated by days and number of entries. Despite the uniform Code, European countries have different approaches to issuing visas
. Some people don't care how you use their visa, others don't.
Finland is among those who care. She easily gives long visas to Russians in order to increase the flow of tourists and improve her economic performance, but is offended if these documents are used for other purposes
. “Finnish visa for travel to Finland” is the official position of the consul.
It turns out that a trip to Finland for show gives an extra stamp for crossing the border. If your passport, for example, has 5 Finnish stamps and 5 others, this is the norm and Finns are happy
. And you do not violate the conditions for issuing a visa and next time you will receive it again without any problems.
How to get a visa to Finland
Those who want to apply for a Finnish visa travel by car themselves or choose the services of the organizers. They, in turn, offer different programs: rental of a visa to Finland from St. Petersburg for an hour, short-term stay with shopping or sightseeing.
There are offers for gourmets - with visits to Finnish restaurants and markets and even with the organization of various types of recreation, for example, fishing or visiting amusement parks. It is logical that this format of visa waiver is more expensive.
Interesting. Even just a few hours in Finland is considered a full day of travel.
Is it necessary to revoke a Finnish visa?
It is not always necessary to revoke a Finnish visa, and in general it is not necessary to do so. Nobody bothers you to get a Finnish visa and travel only to Finland, and to visit other Schengen countries, request an entry document from them
. Several valid European visas in one passport are the norm.
Even if the Finns gave you a long multi visa, and you visited them only once and often traveled to other countries, it doesn’t matter. The current document will not be cancelled, but a new one will not be given immediately: for some time you will be placed in visa quarantine as a violator
. Quarantine applies only to the country that imposed it and cannot be a reason for refusing a visa to another state. In a year, the Finns will forget their grievances and they can apply for an entry permit again.
Our experience in obtaining a Finnish visa is here: Visa to Finland - the most complete instructions https://aidazanami.ru/viza-v-finlyandiyu-samaya-polnaya-instruktsiya.html
For residents of border areas, it is easier to revoke a visa to Finland once again rather than risk being denied a new one. The rest make decisions based on budget and free time. But the Finns have something to see and where to eat deliciously, so Russian tourists love to come here even without a special reason.
I touched on this topic a little earlier in the article “first entry rule into Schengen” . But there are still many open questions, as well as people who are being misled
.
So, below there will be information about renting a visa to Finland , and what you need to do to get a Finnish visa next time without problems. Info 146% at the time of writing (2015), it is based on statements in an interview with the Finnish consul
. For those who know how to use the Internet, it will not be difficult to find out whether there will be changes to this policy. No such changes are expected yet, so let's get started.
The thesis from the previous article - the rule of first entry does not exist , this is all an invention of alarmists. You can enter any Schengen country you want.
Night run-in
Since in order to comply with all the rules of a Finnish visa, you must be in Finland for at least half of the validity period of the visa, or at least no more than in other EU countries, the option of overnight visa processing will be convenient.
Such a trip will be counted as two days, provided that you enter Finland before 12 at night and leave after midnight. The stamps in your passport indicate only the date, so with the help of this life hack you will already have two “full” days of traveling around Finland.
Important! Don't forget about the queues that form at the border. When traveling on your own, if you calculate the time incorrectly, you risk entering and leaving Finland on the same day due to a banal delay in the queue.
How to get a Finnish visa next time without problems
The main rule when subsequently obtaining a Finnish Schengen card. In order for you to be issued a visa without questions next time, it is necessary that you have at least 50% of targeted visits to Finland from all other visits to Schengen countries. Let me explain with an example
.
For example, you went 2 times to Finland and, say, 1 time to Spain and 1 time to Portugal - you have fulfilled the condition
. If we had traveled to Finland just once, the condition would not have been met.
Official information from customs - it is not the number of days that is counted, but the number of times, that is, the number of entries into the country. And these entries must be targeted (this is the key word). “Target” means that the purpose of the trip should be exactly this country, in our case Finland. That is, if you are traveling in transit through Finland to another country, then such a visit is not targeted
.
At the same time, it is officially stated that the number of days does not matter
. You can go to Finland for 1 day, and then fly to France for 2 weeks.
Bottom line. There is no need to do any so-called things like “open” or “close” a visa. Just follow the rule of 50% targeted visits.
One more point needs to be emphasized. At the border, when your passport is scanned, the customs officer displays on the monitor all the information about you and the entire history of your crossings of any border and about all your flights
. Therefore, when, for example, you entered Finland, flew from there to another Schengen country, and returned the same way, do not think that you will only have stamps from Finland, they will know that you were not only in Finland. Therefore, when answering all questions at the consulate and customs, always tell only the truth about where you have been and where you are going.
customs regime
There are some things that are allowed in Russia, but prohibited in Finland. For example, in the Finnish country it is prohibited to use radar detectors (fine up to 500 Euro). And from December 1 until the end of winter, the car must be “shod” in winter tires, otherwise you will not be allowed to cross the border.
In addition to following the rules, remember about the goods allowed and prohibited for import. If you do not have anything with you that needs to be declared, stand in line along the green customs corridor. Otherwise you will have to stand in the general queue.
It is allowed to import alcohol and cigarettes, but there are rules that depend on your age, alcohol strength and type of tobacco. This is described in more detail on the official website of Finnish customs.
In addition, you are allowed to import:
- food products, with the exception of fresh meat and milk;
- seafood, chicken eggs and honey – no more than 2 kg;
- caviar - no more than 125 g per person;
- special food required for medical reasons – no more than 2 kg;
- baby food in the form of formula – no more than 2 kg;
- other food products for infants – no more than 2 kg;
- gasoline - 10 liters in a separate container in addition to what is in the gas tank;
- perfumes - no more than 50 ml of perfume and 250 ml of eau de toilette (it is especially important to remember this if you are going to purchase perfumes in a Duty Free store).
Interesting. At the Finnish border, you may be asked to prove your financial solvency (you must have at least 50 euros with you for a day, either in cash or on a Visa or Master Card) and even give your fingerprints. These procedures are used in rare cases, but you need to be prepared for them.
How I went to Finland by bus on a shopping tour
I was initially skeptical about this kind of trip. And as a result, I really didn’t like all this “consumerism”
. But if you look at it in general, I got a lot of new positive impressions. If you don't take into account all the other crowds who are obsessed with how to spend money, then you can really have an interesting time even on such a short trip.
Road to the lake from the shopping center in Lappeenranta
We had 2 cities to choose from in the program. This is Imatra , which is located almost at the very border. And Lappeenranta . Those who wanted to stayed in Imatra, while others moved on. On the way back, the bus picks everyone up at the same stop where it left it.
Plan of the fortress in Lappeenranta
During the trip it turned out that you could spend 4 hours in Imatra or a little more than 3 in Lappeenranta. Since Lappeenranta is larger, I went there. Imatra, although a very small town, is very friendly and pleasant to be there, so if you have time, stop there too.
Little remains of the fortress itself. Mostly inside buildings.
I walked around Lappeenranta for a little over two hours. Walked around half of the city
. Despite the disgusting weather, I really enjoyed it.
View of the lake from the ramparts
Somehow I am impressed by this whole Finnish way of life, and I like the way life generally flows there.
Cozy streets of Lappeenranta
The only thing I wasn't happy with was the price tag. Somehow everything is too expensive there, especially with the current exchange rate
.
There are literally several types of products that even at this rate are cheaper, but they are few. The rest is now much more expensive
.
Yes, even going to the toilet costs 1 euro (78 rubles
at the time of writing).
Many different monuments. Especially such bizarre shapes.
From the positive. The streets are very clean, people are much friendlier than our compatriots
.
There are a lot of people on bicycles and this despite the bad weather. A lot of people are running
. I was really happy with everything that was happening.
There are a lot of people running along the path around the lake
After spending one day in Finland, I wanted to spend much more time there and get to know their way of life better. I will definitely do this in the future.
It seems that you have a Schengen visa in your passport, and you can travel to any European country without any problems. But for some, it turns out, such a service as renting a visa to Finland is absolutely necessary. It is needed by those who, according to Finnish Schengen, have not crossed the border of Finland, have not been in the country enough, or want to open a new one in the shortest possible time before heading to Europe.
But in order to thoroughly understand why a rental is needed and whether it is necessary to revoke a Finnish visa, you need to have an idea of the process of obtaining these permits.
Run-in “to order” from companies for money and free of charge
Companies that process visas to Finland are located in St. Petersburg, the city closest to the Finnish border. But they are also in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk.
The organizers of the run-in work in two directions: for money and for free. Each option has its pros and cons, so understand better and decide which visa waiver method is right for you.
For money
Choose a trip that suits you: shopping for one day or staying in Finland for just 1-2 hours without leaving the border. In the first case, the trip will take place by minibus, you will be taken to the store closest to the border, and after a few hours you will be taken back with the whole group (about 20 people).
Interesting. The visa is also issued by sea - not only with benefit, but also with pleasure, you will take a ride on a cruise boat with a restaurant and music.
If you are not interested in shopping and you don’t want to waste your time walking around a Finnish store, choose the “express run-in” option. In this case, you will pay up to 1000 rubles to the organizer for transportation to the border, cross it, turn around and immediately go back in the opposite order. Finnish border guards are calm about this behavior of Russians; this is a common practice. Don't be afraid, this visa rental option is also legal.
Free trial
On the one hand, this method seems to be the most profitable. But there is also another side to the coin. This is how dishonest entrepreneurs illegally import goods into Russia. According to Finnish laws, you can take no more than 50 kg per person out of the country. And in order to take out as much as possible, merchants organize just such free tours, where 50 kg of the desired goods are carried by a person who wants to get a visa for free.
Probably, you will even be allowed to buy something for yourself, 5 kilograms, and the remaining 45 kg of your purchases will be transported across the border under the guise of your acquisitions.
The method is risky, because at customs you will need to fill out a declaration for the cargo, and no one will give you a guarantee that there is nothing prohibited there. Spoil your visa history and take risks, or pay and calmly get a paid visa - it’s up to you.
How does rental work through bus tours?
Traveling around the rest of Europe is possible after making one or several trips through the territory of the Finnish state. For this purpose, special bus tours are organized that allow you to shorten your visa to Finland by an hour . A typical trip looks like this:
- You contact the operator by phone and reserve your place;
- Departure: you are picked up from St. Petersburg at a specified location near the metro or at an address near your home by bus along with a group of travelers like you;
- You cross border and customs control, receive the coveted stamp - “roll” your passport;
- Next, depending on the type of your tour, you may be taken to the city for shopping, sightseeing, or almost immediately you will go back;
- You cross the border a second time, receive an exit stamp and head to St. Petersburg.
This way you can get several stamps in your passport in two or three days. With them you can safely go on a long vacation to other Schengen countries without fear of problems the next time you issue a pass document.
In addition to daytime trips by minibus, during which stamps for one day of visit are placed, there are also night trips. When crossing the Russian-Finnish border at night at 23-30 and then returning the next day at 01-00, you will receive stamps in your passport indicating two days of stay for a five to six hour tour: the time of border crossing is not taken into account, only the date.
Features of the Finnish visa
If you have at least once collected the necessary papers, you know about the set of documents that you have to collect. These include full financial guarantees, confirmation of a hotel reservation, etc. But even if the entire package is assembled and properly executed, visa centers still have the right to refuse to provide a visa permit.
Finland in this regard is much more loyal than other Schengen countries; it opens entry to Russians easier and faster. And there are very few refusals
. And this is not surprising.
Important! Tourists from Russia significantly influence the country’s economy, leaving considerable funds on its territory. Not to mention the fact that this country is practically the only one that can issue a multiple visa from the first trip.
